Organization - Transition Words and Phrases
Knowing the transition words is important for exams. So make sure you know how to use them correctly at the beginning, middle and end of a paragraph. Transitions help your ideas flow more smoothly in your essay, making your writing more organized and well thought out.
Note
: It's helpful to pay attention to these transitions when reading tests. Also, try to incorporate more transition words and phrases into your writing.
Topic sentence and transition questions test your understanding of how best to introduce, connect, and conclude an argument. Transitions can appear almost anywhere in a passage. It can also be used multiple times within a paragraph. The key to asking migration questions is to ask yourself, "What migration is the author trying to achieve?"
Building on previous ideas (+) Qualify or Reject Previous Thoughts (-) reveal the chronology of something (?)
Three symbols are available for testing:
When you come across a transition word or phrase, feel free to ask if it complements (+), counteracts (-) the last idea, or indicates when something happened (?).
If a transition word is underlined, make sure it's the correct transition word for the sentence. Transitions show the relationship between two ideas.
A good transition word gives the reader a clue as to what happens next. If the transition word is underlined, check if its meaning works in the flow of the sentence.
Cause and Effect: Indicate the first thought led to/caused the second thought - “A caused B”
Is the author trying to communicate a causal relationship? Is the author asserting that one event led to another?
Example:
Only the boys’ bathroom had graffiti in it. Therefore, the girls were allowed to keep their recess privileges while the boys were punished.
The second part results from the first part.
Example:
Brian is funny; therefore, he makes you laugh.
The second part results from the first part.
Contradiction/Contrast: Transition between contrasting ideas - “A. In opposition, B”
Is the author trying to indicate that there’s been a contradiction or a change in idea? Is the author highlighting a contrast?
Examples:
In general, Megan was a very hard-working and smart girl. However, she was unable to keep her grades up when she entered high school.
Brian is funny, but sometimes he is tired and dull.
The second part opposes the first part, so we need a contrast word.
Introduction: Introduce a new idea not mentioned before - “Presenting: A”
to start (with),
to begin (with),
initially,
primarily,
first and foremost,
Knowing the transition words is important for exams. So make sure you know how to use them correctly at the beginning, middle and end of a paragraph. Transitions help your ideas flow more smoothly in your essay, making your writing more organized and well thought out.
Note
: It's helpful to pay attention to these transitions when reading tests. Also, try to incorporate more transition words and phrases into your writing.
Topic sentence and transition questions test your understanding of how best to introduce, connect, and conclude an argument. Transitions can appear almost anywhere in a passage. It can also be used multiple times within a paragraph. The key to asking migration questions is to ask yourself, "What migration is the author trying to achieve?"
Building on previous ideas (+) Qualify or Reject Previous Thoughts (-) reveal the chronology of something (?)
Three symbols are available for testing:
When you come across a transition word or phrase, feel free to ask if it complements (+), counteracts (-) the last idea, or indicates when something happened (?).
If a transition word is underlined, make sure it's the correct transition word for the sentence. Transitions show the relationship between two ideas.
A good transition word gives the reader a clue as to what happens next. If the transition word is underlined, check if its meaning works in the flow of the sentence.
Cause and Effect: Indicate the first thought led to/caused the second thought - “A caused B”
Is the author trying to communicate a causal relationship? Is the author asserting that one event led to another?
Example:
Only the boys’ bathroom had graffiti in it. Therefore, the girls were allowed to keep their recess privileges while the boys were punished.
The second part results from the first part.
Example:
Brian is funny; therefore, he makes you laugh.
The second part results from the first part.
Contradiction/Contrast: Transition between contrasting ideas - “A. In opposition, B”
Is the author trying to indicate that there’s been a contradiction or a change in idea? Is the author highlighting a contrast?
Examples:
In general, Megan was a very hard-working and smart girl. However, she was unable to keep her grades up when she entered high school.
Brian is funny, but sometimes he is tired and dull.
The second part opposes the first part, so we need a contrast word.
Introduction: Introduce a new idea not mentioned before - “Presenting: A”
to start (with),
to begin (with),
initially,
primarily,
first and foremost,
